


To Float Within Gravity

by Basilintime



Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Established Relationship, Explicit Sexual Content, F/F, F/M, M/M, Multi, Outer Space, Polyamory, Space Horror AU, general IT horror stuff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-17
Updated: 2020-05-03
Packaged: 2021-02-27 23:08:02
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,473
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22763725
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Basilintime/pseuds/Basilintime
Summary: The Losers have been friends since childhood when the seven of them ended up in a colony orphanage together at a young age. None of them remember exactly what happened when they were younger and have long decided they don't really care.Now, grown up they've continued together, their own little family who work in salvaging lost vessels of all kinds throughout the different systems.They just were given a new job; an unusual one. A colony that was thought lost twenty-seven years ago has started to broadcast a message. A colony that had disappeared from the collective conscious of the universe until it called out once more.One message. Two word.Come Home.
Relationships: Audra Phillips/Patricia Blum Uris, Ben Hanscom/Beverly Marsh, Bill Denbrough/Mike Hanlon, Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier/Stanley Uris
Comments: 2
Kudos: 12





	1. Come Home

_It had been resting. Hibernating. The planet below the silent colony station glowed red as the light from the nearest star lit up the atmosphere in an early morning sunrise. Spread like fire across the surface as It awoke._

_The station, silent and empty, stirred with Its presence. It stretched itself out, flexed its control though there was no one to force it upon and a tune started to play throughout the halls. It hummed with it._

_It was hungry. It was angry._

_As the sun broke on the surface below, as the station hummed to life with its singular life pod in use kicking into its slow reanimation sequence, a message started to broadcast. Two words repeated. Two words calling out for whoever would respond. To call back those who had left; who had escaped It._

_**Come Home.**_

**_Come Home._ **

**_Come Home._ **

**_Come Home._ **

⚸

Stan stood outside the door as he listened to Bill tie up the loose ends and Richie crack a few more jokes. Jobs had been a bit thin lately, harder to come by in the system which meant they would have to start branching out. Going out the system meant it would cost more to make the trip but the further out you went the more the job would typically pay. 

This job would pay them a lot but it would also be a long trip. An old orbital colony had popped up on the general radar again after almost thirty years of being designated as ‘missing’. How a colony that never left the orbit of its designated planet could be listed as missing was beyond him but from everything they’d been given it seemed it had simply...faded from everyone’s memory. The last report from the place was an unusual SOS message which prompted an initial investigation but past that it hadn’t been mentioned until now. 

_“Hey Stan, Mike’s getting into a debate about the problematic nature of historical colonization with a guy down here. Please tell me you three are almost fucking done up there. Last thing I need is to have to patch him up because he decided to dump some fucking truth on this douche.”_

Stan smiled a little as he heard Eddie’s voice in his ear from the communicator. He leaned to glance through the door once more to see if they were ready to wrap things up yet before he pressed on the button on the communicator on his wrist to respond back to him 

“We should be down soon, Eddie. I’m pretty sure if Mike gets into an actual fight it’s going to be the other guy with the problem. Let the others all know we’ve got the job; it’s going to be a long haul though so we’re going to need to stock up on supplies.” Stan sighed as he dropped his wrist back down to his side and he looked out through the window at the rest of the station. 

This was the largest hub in the sector and it orbited a water-covered planet that glittered blue out the window. Stan took a second to appreciate the view, something he didn’t think most people did often enough. It was like anything, he supposed, you spend so much time in a place you forget to really pay attention to it. You forget to notice how beautiful it could be. That was part of the reason he preferred to live like they did; preferred to move from place to place as needed. It had lost him some things but he’d gained a lot from it as well. 

“We’re going to need to make sure we have enough information before we head out. Mike might be able to dig up a bit more to go off of.” Bill and Richie stepped out of the office as Bill flipped through the small dossier that they’d been given. 

The colony of Derry; an established colony of about seventy years only to suddenly fall out of the conscious memory of the entire universe about twenty-seven years ago. Something about it didn’t sit quite right with him, he’d felt almost sick when they’d first heard the name of the place and the circumstances of its disappearance and subsequent reappearance. 

It would be more than just a salvage job too. They were to gather anything deemed of value that they could bring back but they were also being tasked as investigators. To see if they could pull any records from the colony’s systems that showed just what had happened. That part Stan didn’t mind; it would be like a good puzzle. Mike would be excited for it too. 

Richie gave him a grin as they started down the hall together; threw his arm over Stan’s shoulders to hug him close to his side. Stan rolled his eyes a little but didn’t pull away. Richie had a way of being obnoxious while also feeling an awful lot like home. It was one of the reasons he loved him. 

“Oh, Mikey will just love the chance to dig into a mystery like this. You two will have a little pet project before we get going, Stanley.” Richie pressed a kiss to his temple and Stan shooed him away half-heartedly. 

“Speaking of, Eddie called to say that Mike was arguing the evils of colonization with some guy downstairs. Apparently, it was getting pretty heated.” 

Bill sighed and gave a roll of his eyes when Stan told him this. He closed the folder so he could tuck it under his arm as he picked up the pace a little. Mike wouldn’t hurt a fly even if he was capable of it. That wouldn’t stop the rest of the Losers from jumping into a fight on his behalf if he didn’t back down from his side of that argument. Bev would make short work of it but still not an ideal way for things to go given they had to be here for a little while longer. 

“At least it’s not Eddie this time.” 

“Please, if it was our Eddie there’d already be punches thrown.” 

“We don’t need punches being thrown by anyone. I can’t leave any of you alone for five seconds.” Bill pushed his hair back off his forehead with a slightly frustrated expression. Stan and Richie both stared at him for a few moments in disbelief. 

“Excuse me, who was the fucking Loser who got into a full out brawl with that douche at the Pegasi last time we were there.” Richie laughed as he reached over to mess up Bill’s hair; tugged at the grey streak in the front that he knew Bill was a bit self-conscious about despite Mike very clearly finding it attractive. 

“Weren’t you also the one who went off on your own a few months ago to ‘take care of something’ only to somehow come back with a mysterious black eye?” Stan raised an eyebrow at Bill as they came to a stop outside the elevators that would take them down to the docking port. Bill opened his mouth to say something in rebuttal but seemed to come up with nothing. 

“I can handle myself. Better me than any of you guys.” 

Stan gave a snort of amusement that earned him a slight glare from Bill despite the smile that tugged at his lips. The doors to the elevator opened for them and Richie motioned for Bill to step inside first. 

“After you, fearless captain. Make sure the elevator isn’t going to kick our asses.” Richie’s tone dripped with sarcasm and Bill flipped him off as they pushed into the elevator to make the trip down. 

⚸ 

They had gathered the others when they’d gotten to the docking ports; pulled the entire group together to go over the details of the job. The agreement was that they’d all get some rest and then get everything pulled together first thing so they could get a move on. It had been a long day since they’d gotten to the station. It was a welcome reprieve to have at least one night’s rest before they started off again. 

“You should have seen Stan, Eds, negotiating the price for this job. He’s like a wizard with people when it comes to money. We’ve got all the talent in this family right in this room.” Richie was over by their closet trying to stumble into some sweats as Stan shifted into bed besides Eddie. 

“Well, one of us had to have some common sense in that room.” Stan grinned when he heard Eddie snicker in response to this. Richie held a finger up in their direction before he fought his way into a shirt and moved to climb up onto the bed with them. 

“I said that Richie shouldn’t have gone along with you two. I’m sure he was being a fucking idiot the whole time.” 

“He was.” Stan shrugged even as Richie pushed his way between the two of them. Eddie smacked at him lightly, the two of them started bickering back and forth for a few moments. Stan reached to carefully snag Richie’s glasses off his face so he could set them aside somewhere safe for the night. 

“Please, I played a valuable role in getting us this job, Spagheds. I had them eating out of the palm of my fucking hand. You two just can’t handle that I’m the most charismatic out of us.” Richie wiggled to cuddle down between them and Stan shared a look with Eddie over his head. 

“Being an asshole isn’t the same as having charisma, Trashmouth.” Stan shifted to settle down under the covers after taking a moment to turn the light off on his side of the bed. He turned onto his side so he was facing Richie who immediately wrapped his arms around him to pull him close. Eddie took a few more moments to carefully scroll through something on his tablet before setting it down and turning the light off on his side. 

“Hey, I’m charismatic enough to have snagged you two idiots.” Richie nuzzled into Stan’s in an obnoxious fashion and Stan complained even as he laughed. 

“Excuse me, who’s the fucking idiot here?” 

“The two of you are. I don’t know why I put up with you both. Now, can we go to fucking sleep?” Stan said with a laugh as he reached around Richie to take Eddie’s hand to give him a gentle pull to get him to lie down. 

Stan heard Eddie grumble a little about being included with Richie in that category but there was a warm sense of humor in his voice. In the dark he felt Eddie settle on the other side of the bed; could feel his arms as they wrapped around Richie who was sandwiched between them. The three of them tangled close together as the quiet of the ship settled around them. 

“Love you, Losers.” Richie talked his way through a yawn as he curled close, chin resting against the top of Stan’s head. 

“Love you too, moron.” Stan spoke at about the same time Eddie did as he called Richie a fucker as well. 

Stan laid there in the dark, eyes closed but mind still wandering. That nagging feeling was still in the back of his head; some certainty that he’d heard something about the colony of Derry once before. It wasn’t enough that he could fully focus on it. Every time he tried it was like his mind would shy away from it; whatever it was just his focus would slide off of it like it was a bubble of thought he couldn’t quite pop. 

Patty might know; might be able to help. It felt like old knowledge which meant that it might have been something he’d heard back when she was working with them. Before the constant travel got to be too much for her and she’d settled down with Audra on Kep-69. 

Stan heard Eddie’s breathing evened out first as he tried to turn off his thoughts long enough to fall asleep himself. Listened for Richie’s to do the same, expected the soft snore that typically signaled he’d passed out of the night. Stan fell asleep before that familiar steady rhythm managed to start. 

⚸

_Stannie,_

_I don’t recall any mention of an orbital colony named Derry but I can take a look through the old records for you if you’d like. This sounds like a job that’s pretty far out of the way; please be safe and pass on my love to the others. It’s been too long since I’ve gotten to see you all. I hope that everyone is doing well; I miss you, Stanley. All of you._

_I’ll admit, sometimes your offer for me to come along with you all sounds tempting. Getting to just go at a drop of a hat. I couldn’t do that to Audra though; she doesn’t like living port to port and we’ve got a good thing here. I just can’t imagine not being right here with her. We both know how I do in a long-distance relationship; always a little bit heartbroken._

_If I find anything on this colony, I’ll send it on though I’m sure Mike will leave no corner unturned. I never quite rivaled his ability to dig out every little detail._

_I love you, Stanley. Be safe and if you’re ever in the area, please, feel free to stop by. Audra would love to see you all as well. It’d be so much fun to have the whole gang back together even for a day or two._

_Take care._

_Your friend,_

_Patty_


	2. Nine times Nightmares

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We skip ahead a few days to find the crew almost to the colony of Derry. Old memories bubble to the surface as nightmares for Bev and Richie; haunting them both not for the first time. The colony's abandoned nature seems to strike a chord in Richie while Bev is glad that things she dreams have been long gone. 
> 
> They both find comfort in their own ways once the edge of the nightmares have worn off.

They had left Bangor eight days ago, the hub faded in the distance quickly when they’d gone through the gate. When they’d come out on the other side there had been nothing but stars until they had reached the far end of the system that Derry resided in. The route had been calculated to take them to the planet Derry orbited at a time where they’d have a straight shot as long as the distress signal had been accurate. It would take one more day for them to get there and docked. 

Nine days total to get to Derry. 

Bev sat in the cockpit, staring out at the stretch of stars and nothing as she nursed the hot toddy that was maybe a little more whiskey than tea. The ship didn’t need her there, didn’t need her watching the emptiness outside to guide it, but sleep didn’t come easy sometimes. It had been a while since the nightmares had hit her as badly as they had that night. It had been like a crescendo that built over time since they’d started on their way. Quiet in the background of things at first, mild stirrings in her sleep, but tonight it had reached a peak that had brought her out of her rest in a cold sweat.

Ben had woken up as well, tried to comfort her though he was careful not to touch her. He knew better than that, knew that contact wouldn’t help her in that moment but his calm and soothing voice did. His reassurances as he walked her back through to where she was, where they all were and that she was safe chasing the shadows away until leaned into him of her own accord. 

She excused herself after a few moments, slipped away from him to wander down to the small kitchen and wound up here. Ben would understand her need to be alone, would welcome her back into the bed beside him when she was ready. For now she sat, tried to pick the dream apart even though there was nothing she was going to find that she hadn’t gone over and over before. When nightmares tracked you through your whole life, you got to know the ins and outs of them like a book you’ve read til it fell apart. 

Bev swallowed some of the bitter drink, cradled it to her chest so that the warmth would seep into her. She always felt helpless in her dreams, something Bev hardly felt anymore when she was awake but the sense came back to creep in on her at night. It felt her feeling haunted, trailed by memories of a life she hardly remembered. Followed by those who had tried to possess her in the past even now that they were gone. Ghosts of violence and fear. 

There was a shuffle of steps behind her and Bev glanced over her shoulder to find Richie as he stepped through the door. He sat down in the seat beside her, stifling a yawn as she moved to pour another cup of whiskey and tea. She had planned ahead just in case; Richie slept about as well as she did most nights. It was almost without fail that if she ended up awake in the middle of the night that Richie would end up joining her; restless and haunted by his own half-buried memories. 

“Thanks,” Richie mumbled as he accepted the cup from her and took a big gulp. He leaned back to prop his feet up on an open space of the control panel and the two of them sat and looked out at the emptiness together. There wasn’t really any need for them to break the silence between them. No need to ask why they were awake. Bev knew the details of Richie’s nightmares almost as well as she knew her own and vice versa. Still, she studied him for a second out of the corner of her eye to see the slight shake in his hands and the crease in his brow that felt out of place on him. 

“You want to talk about it?” Bev asked in a quiet voice so he could pretend not to have heard her if he needed to. She could usually gauge just how bad Richie’s dreams had been on a given night by how quiet he was. On the worst nights, he seemed like a ghost himself. Someone who was only there in form. 

“It’s the same shit as always so what’s there to talk about?” Richie’s voice was low and quiet as if trying to match her whispered tone. Bad then; though not at their worst. “Sorry, it’s been a rough last few nights.” 

“I know…” This might have been the first night on this trip that Bev had been so shaken that she’d needed to get out and into the quiet but it wasn’t the first night she’d been woken up by the dreams since they’d left the hub. 

“What about you? Need to talk?” Richie gave her a concerned look and she gave a shake of her head. “Like you said; same as always.” 

“Fuck him.” A protective term leaked into Richie’s voice as he said this and it drew a small smile out of her. She could always rely on the Losers to have her back just like she had theirs. Each of them would walk straight into hell and back for the others; would give god the bird while doing so too. 

Bev drained the last of her drink as she tried to push away the memory of an oppressing weight and harsh words. Immediately poured herself another after doing so. She could never remember the face that belonged to that violence but she knew who it was. She hoped her son of a bitch father was dead wherever he was in the universe. Her dreams were what had made her determined to never be in a position to be treated like that ever again. Why she had made certain she knew how to protect herself and the people she cared for. 

Her family. 

She had determined long ago when they were still at the orphanage that it was better for all of them. Whatever life they had during those first few years of their lives; there was a reason they’d left it behind for it to only haunt them in their sleep. 

“How are you feeling about this job, Rich? It’s kind of weird, don’t you think? An entire colony just forgotten about in an outer quad.” Bev chose to change the subject as she watched Richie take a deep, shaky breath. Their work was easier territory to tread. 

They salvaged most anything that had been left behind to rot. Ships, old research sites, things like that cropped up most often. The ships were almost always burnt out hulls; ships either sent adrift because they were more trouble than they were worth or left running an old course after something happened to the crew. Abandoned and silent and worth more than most people ever assumed. 

“Yeah, it’s fucking weird. But, I guess, you know...out of sight, out of mind. Some shit probably happened, everyone jumped ship and it just wasn’t worth remembering until now. People are quick to write something off as not being important so it probably just was too far out and of too little value to care about. It’s not really surprising that the records are shit either; I mean, fuck...we, of all people, should know how shit record keeping can be.” 

“We still talking about the colony there, Richie?” Bev sighed quietly as she heard the bitter note in Richie’s voice. It was something she wished she could take away. He hid it so well most of the time but it was still there. She knew that she saw this side of him more than the others with the exception of Stan and Eddie. The Richie who didn’t just joke about not being worth much but clearly believed it as well. 

“You know we’re not. Same difference though in the end, isn’t it? A bunch of kids left forgotten floating out in the black on their own. An entire colony, left empty to rot like a ghost town. Two sides of the same coin.” 

Richie smiled at her but that sadness brimmed his eyes with tears behind his glasses. Out of all of them, Richie and Mike were the two that had pleasant memories of their parents. The rest of them, what little they could recall, couldn’t say they necessarily cared to dwell on them. Nothing worth wanting to dredge up. 

It wasn’t to say that Mike and Richie’s memories of their parents were trauma free; they were just scars of a different sort. Richie was convinced his parents had simply forgotten about him after deciding his wasn’t worth the trouble; Mike said he knew his parents were dead but never spoke just what sort of memory he had that made him so certain. 

“Fuck the people who forget, Richie. We don’t. That’s why we do this; we go out there and bring back what remains.” Richie gave her an amused smirk as he held his glass out to her for a melancholy toast. 

“Fuck yeah, we do.” They clinked their glasses together softly, both of them swallowing down the last of the warm, bitter liquid before Bev shifted to pour them another cup from the teapot.

*

They had sat there for a while in each other’s company until Richie finished with his third drink. Bev had stopped after her second but had continued to sit with him. He knew that she would have sat there with him for the rest of the night if she needed to. They’d done it before. First, as kids who snuck off to some hidden corner of the orphanage to whisper back and forth; now as adults taking up watch in the cockpit of the ship as it drifted them closer to their destination. 

Richie had agreed to head back to their rooms and try to get more sleep for Bev’s sake more than his own. He didn’t think he would actually get any more rest that night; not with the shadows of the nightmare still looming in the corners of his mind. It wasn’t as if the two of them had a monopoly on bad dreams among the Losers but for some reason they had them more frequently and vividly. They had shared nightmares before as well like there was some link between them that let the same terrors in. 

He did his best to be quiet as he slipped back into the bedroom only to find Stan awake and sitting at the desk with the muted desk lamp on. Eddie was in the bed; curled up but also awake as the two of them had clearly been talking before he’d stepped inside. 

“Aw, you two didn’t have to wait up for me,” Richie said with a hint of sarcasm as he nudged the door closed behind him. Eddie raised a hand to flip him off as Stan continued working on something at the desk for a few moments. He knew they were both waiting to see if he was alright. Richie didn’t think that ‘alright’ really described the way he felt but he was better than he had been when he’d first woken up in a panic. 

Richie made a show of stretching dramatically with a yawn before he climbed back into the bed and wrapped himself around Eddie in his pile of blankets. Richie buried his face against Eddie’s neck and he stayed there to take in his clean cotton scent for a few moments.

“You okay, Richie?” Stan’s voice carried concern like it was his job. Gentle and prying in a way that wasn’t invasive; a balm to Richie’s anxiety especially when combined with Eddie’s warm curled against him. He didn’t know how he’d been lucky enough for the two of them to decide they loved him back. He lived in a constant state of wonder and fear that eventually they’d get tired of him. It wasn’t fair to either of them, Richie knew rationally that they wouldn’t just forget about him but that didn’t mean it wasn’t a small little needle of a thought that pierced through him at times like this. 

Times when he felt like a fucking mess. 

“Yeah, I’m fine. Better at least. Bev supplied me with tea that I’m pretty sure was just straight up brewed in whiskey.” Richie shifted to get his hands under the blankets that Eddie was wrapped in; pressed his hands against his stomach and he was awarded with a string of curses as Eddie tried to squirm away. 

“Your fucking hands are freezing, asshole.” Eddie tried to push Richie’s hands away and the two of them devolved into wrestling with each other for a few moments. 

“Let me under the blankets then!” 

“And let you put your freezing cold feet on me too? Fuck you.” Eddie failed to keep the laugh out of his voice as Richie tried to get the upper hand as they got more tangled in the blankets. 

“Come on, warm me up, Eds!” 

“Fuck you, you goddamn asshole. Go warm yourself up!” Eddie turned the tables on Richie, managed to pin him down on the bed for a second. He tried to throw him off balance by leaning up to press a kiss against Eddie’s lips but Eds pulled away at the last second. 

The lamp on the desk clicked off to leave them in darkness aside from the soft glow left by the console screen Stan had abandoned. 

“Alright, idiots, let me in. Just listening to you two has made me exhausted again.” Stan took his reading glasses off to set them aside and gave them both a look as they shifted to one side immediately to make room even as they still shoved lightly at each other while doing so. Stan shook his head at them as he climbed back into bed on Richie’s other side, straightening out the blankets the best he could to cover them all up. 

“What were you working on anyway, Stanthony?” Richie adjusted his pillow as he laid down on his side as Eddie curled up with him so that his head was tucked under his chin while he felt Stan curl up against his back. Their arms wrapped around him, held all three of them close together

“Just trying to work some of the numbers on this job. We’re spending more than usual to get out to the site. I’m hoping we’ll get the chance to take some time off after this but we’ll need to make a good enough profit.” 

“You haven’t said anything about a break. Anything particular in mind?” Richie pulled his glasses off as they went a little askew from lying down with them still on. He leaned further into Eddie so he could reach the end table to set them on and then they all settled in place. Richie felt safe trapped between the two of them; closed his eyes and hoped the dreams wouldn’t just come rushing back. If he had to, he’d just lie there with them both so they could get some sleep. 

“Just thought it might be nice for all of us to go planet side for a while. Somewhere quiet and a bit out of the way. It feels like we’ve just been on a constant string of jobs lately. I think it’s wearing on everyone a little.” 

Richie laid there silently for a few moments as he heard Eddie’s soft noise of agreement. He knew they meant him, that it was wearing on him, and that the nightmares were a sign of it. He also understood that Stan didn’t necessarily mean anything by it other than him being worried about him. There were times things felt too big for him to handle. They were fewer and farther between compared to when they were kids but there always seemed to be the expectation that he’d become a mess. 

“I’m fine, you know, if that’s what you’re worried about.” He felt Stan go still for a moment, the type of still that didn’t mean he’d gone to sleep but that he’d been caught off guard by his comment. 

“That’s not what he was saying, Richie.” Eddie spoke up first, voice quiet as Richie felt them both curled tighter against him. Their legs tangled under the blankets as he opened his eyes to stare across at the desk. The console had gone dark again but there was still an eerie blue glow from the power light that seeped out into the room. 

“I do worry about you, Richie, because I worry about all of you. You all go wandering onto derelict ships to pick them apart while I’m usually here or, at the very least, sitting in a secured room playing at navigator. Honestly, I just want to spend some time with my family where we’re not constantly on the move to another unknown for just a little while.” 

Stan pressed a kiss to the back of his neck as he spoke; punctuated a few of his words with a pause as he pressed his lips to Richie’s skin. 

“It’d be kind of nice. Get a chance to get away. Maybe sit on a beach somewhere?” Eddie made the suggestion; pressed a kiss against Richie’s jaw he did his best to take Stan’s words at face value. It was difficult to tell when Stan was lying, he had the same deadpan delivery no matter what, but it was eased by the knowledge that he also very rarely actually lied to any of them. Other people outside of the Losers, of course he was willing to bend the truth, but with their family was entirely different. 

“I was sort of thinking of a forest somewhere; maybe next to a lake. Quiet and a bit solitary. There a place on Irope that would be nice. We’d pay to dock the ship and then we could stay in these cabins around the area. We could all have a bit of privacy if we wanted.” 

Riche was having a harder time focusing on the lingering negative thoughts; soft soothing touches and words and kisses against his skin were chasing them away. Physical reassurances, grounding distractions with warmth and weight around him.

“So, you do have somewhere in mind. What are you thinking of doing with some privacy?” Richie mumbled the words with a bit of a suggestive tone. He felt a chill go down his back as Stan’s lips brushed against the skin behind his ear before he responded. 

“Get some sleep.” 

Eddie gave a snort of laughter as Stan said the words with a flat tone. Richie reached back to try and smack lightly at Stan who just managed to catch his arm and hug it against his side to keep him from doing so.

“You can go ahead and get all the sleep you want then, Staniel. I can have plenty of fun on my o-oh.” Richie hadn’t been pouting exactly but his teasing words were cut short when he felt Eddie find the spot just below his jaw suck lightly at the skin. It made a warmth pool in his gut, made him all the more aware that he was pinned between the two of them with their legs in a tangle under the sheets. 

“Please, like you’d actually let either of us get a moment’s peace to sleep if we didn’t find some way to wear you out first,” Eddie’s tone was teasing with the heavy side of want that made a warmth spread through Richie. Stan pressed against his back and he pushed back against him; was rewarded with a soft hitch in Stan’s breath. 

At the same time, Eddie started to press kisses lower down along his chest as he ducked completely under the blankets. The two of them kept him pinned between them, hands caressing down his sides and gripping his hips. He wasn’t a hundred percent certain who’s hands were who’s as his sweatpants were pushed down low on his thighs. 

“This alright, Richie? If we help you relax a little?” Stan spoke quiet and Richie could hear that tone of concern in his voice once more. Eddie nuzzled against his stomach, arms going around his waist to hug him tightly as they both waited for the answer. Richie reached down to run a hand through his hair affectionately. 

“Yeah, yeah I think it’d be nice to relax a little.” Richie closed his eyes as he felt Eddie slip a little lower as Stan shifted away from him for just a moment to grab something from the nightstand. He focused on the moment; to focus on the gentle words of encouragement and the feel of Eddie’s lips wrapping around the head of his cock. Stan curled back around him, hand slipped between Richie’s legs to cup at his balls. 

Stan and Eddie moved slowly with him, purposeful and almost reverent in a way that made Richie’s nerve-endings spark. A mix of gentle and rough; the press of lube-slicked fingers at Stan pushed them inside of him while Eddie sucked, slow and thorough, along his length. They brought him close, that building tension in his gut almost spilling over before they both pulled away as if they could read him like a book. Knew that even a second longer and he would have fallen into that shuddering sense of release. 

Eddie moved up to emerge from beneath the blankets to press a kiss against Richie’s lips. He could taste himself on him; Richie gave a whimper against his lips as he felt Stan pull his fingers free. 

“Come here, Rich.” Eddie tugged at Richie and he more than gladly followed. Eddie laid down on his back, watched him with intense focus as he moved to straddle him. The cool air hit his skin as the blanket slipped off of him but its warmth was replaced by Stan’s as he straddled Eddie as well; situated himself behind Richie as his arms slipped around him. “You good?” 

“Yeah, yeah, fuck yeah.” 

Eddie’s hands stayed on his thighs, drew small circles with his fingertips as Stan leaned into him. He heard both of them give mumbled words and gasps as Stan reached to grip both of them in his hand. Richie let himself be directed back, felt the press of both of their dicks against his ass before Stan got them lined up just right that they both pushed inside of him. 

“Fuck…” Richie arched a little, felt the ache at the base of his spine as his body adjusted. It was just enough, pleasure and pain together as Stan wrapped his arms around him now that they were situated to keep him still. Eddie cursed as well, fingertips digging into Richie’s thighs as they all did their best to stay still. To give Richie a bit of time to adjust to the feel of them both inside of him. “Okay, it’s good...it’s good.” 

The ache faded and Richie reached back behind him, found purchase on Stan’s thighs to try and encourage him to push further. Richie let them shift him into a slightly better position, leaning over Eddie a little more as Stan pulled his hips back so that they both sunk deeper inside of him. Richie squirmed a little, wanted to push back and take them both quick but Stan’s hands steadied him as they moved at that same slow pace. 

“Love you.” Eddie mumbled the words as they finally settled, completely still again as Stan’s hand ran along his spine in soothing touches. Eddie tugged Richie carefully into a kiss, a hint of stubble burn and soft lips against his. 

And then Stan pulled back, almost pulled out of him in a slow fluid motion before he thrusted back inside of him. Richie moaned into Eddie’s mouth, heard him respond in the same as Stan started to set a steady pace. Eddie pushed upwards into him, a slightly staggered rhythm from Stan, that sent spikes of pleasure through him. 

Richie lost himself in it; the feel of them both holding onto him tight, sounds of pleasure and quiet praise between the three of them and the sense of building pressure inside of him once more. At some point, Stan’s hands pressed him down lower onto Eddie whose arms wrapped around him tightly as Stan’s pace picked up. Small shots of pleasure ignited beneath his skin as they both drove into him harder and Richie had to bury his face against Eddie’s shoulder to stifle the sounds of his moans as they climbed out of him. 

He heard Stan’s voice, praise and demands in equal terms, as his rhythm stuttered slightly and then a couple of sharp, rough thrusts as he came inside him. Eddie kept pushing his hips up against the weight of them both as he muttered a few quiet curses. Richie felt Stan’s hand wrap around his erection, stroking it as he encouraged them both. 

Richie came first though Eddie wasn’t far behind him. Stan thrust a few lazy times to help Eddie ride his orgasm for a few seconds longer. The world returned to Richie in a rush as if he’d just emerged from underwater; his ears ringing slightly as he pressed light kisses against Eddie’s shoulder. The three of them resting in an odd tangle there for a short bit before Stan finally shifted away first. 

“We should get cleaned up and then get some more rest.” Richie was half aware of Stan’s words, Eddie’s hands carefully nudged him back as he felt exhausted creep in on him. It was a comfortable exhaustion; one that made rest seemed possible other than Stan and Eddie doing their best to coax him out of the bed. 

“Come on, Rich. We’re not going to go back to sleep while you're still a mess.” Eddie had a slight reprimand in his voice but it was buried under layers of adoration and lingering desire. Richie grumbled a complaint as Stan took his hands and pulled him up off the bed to stand. 

“You two made the mess; now you gotta lie in it,” Richie said jokingly but it seemed to be enough to make Eddie decide he was done with asking as he bodily scooped Richie up and got him tossed over his shoulder. Richie laughed, smacked playfully at Eddie’s ass that was now about at face level as he got carried into the bathroom. Stan held the door open for them, shaking his head at them both though he gave Eddie’s ass a light squeeze himself as they stepped past him. 

*

Bev had convinced Richie that his third drink was enough and was glad he hadn’t argued. She worried about him and didn’t want to leave him alone though she had started to feel the fatigue wear on her; aided by the alcohol. She made sure that Richie wandered back towards his shared quarters with Eddie and Stan before she padded quietly through the halls of the ship to her room. 

It was dark inside when she stepped in but she didn’t hear Ben’s soft snore which meant he likely hadn’t fallen back to sleep still. She didn’t touch the lights but just moved with instinct and by the dim glow of the clock display to slip into bed besides him. She scooted under the blankets, lying down at Ben’s side and rested her head on his shoulder. His arm hugged her close as he yawned. 

“Hey.” Bev reached up, bopping her hand gentle over his mouth as he yawned to make the sound more like a deep yodel. Ben burst into laughter, shooing her hand away even as he hugged her close. Gathered her up in his arms so he could pepper kisses across her cheeks. Bev grinned, cupped his face in her hands and planted a kiss against his lips. This was what she loved about Ben; he was gentle and loving and ridiculous at times. 

So different from her relationships in the past. He’d always been there but she hadn’t thought she deserved him for such a long time. Now they belonged together entirely and she couldn’t imagine it any other way. 

“Hey yourself. You seem to be feeling better?” It was a question and Bev knew that he was looking at her with that soft concern on his face. Could see it now as her eyes adjusted to the dimmer light and she snuck another kiss from him. 

“I am. Thank you for understanding.” Bev settled so she was facing him, their foreheads close as they laid under the sheets. 

“I just wish there was more I could do when it happens. I hate seeing you look scared and knowing there’s nothing I can do to protect you.” Ben sighed, offered her a sad smile. Bev hated it too; hated waking up in pain and panic that made her curl far away from Ben. He didn’t try to physically reach out to her anymore when she was in that disoriented state but he spoke soft and quiet to her. Talked her through where she was and when until she was grounded enough to excuse herself. He never tried to stop her, understood the need for space and a view outside of the ship. 

“You do enough. Being you is more than enough.” Bev kissed the corner of Ben’s mouth, saw his soft smile in the blue-toned highlights of the alarm clock’s glow. 

“You going to try and get some more sleep?” Ben seemed to remind himself of his fatigue with the question as he tried to stifle a second yawn. 

“I’m going to try. If I can’t sleep, I’ll at least get some rest since there’s a chance we may get to dock before we sleep tomorrow.” Ben nodded as he rolled back onto his back; let her sidle back up against his side to use his shoulder as a pillow. She took a deep breath, caught the slightly spiced scent of his body wash still clinging to him and the soft sweatshirt he’d worn to bed. 

“Love you, Bev.” Ben mumbled it quietly as he closed his eyes. She knew he was tired, that the last couple days had been busy for him. Ben, Stan and Mike had all been going over what information they’d been able to dredge up about the colony. Details were few and far between but they would still need a game plan for when they arrived. And if they docked the next night, Bev had no doubt that the three of them would tap into its systems and try to mine for whatever information would help them come up with a game plan for salvaging it. 

“Love you too, Ben.” Bev closed her eyes, tried to sleep herself as she listened to Ben’s breathing steady out with some time. At some point she managed to drift off to sleep dreamlessly the rest of the night. 

**Author's Note:**

> This is something that's been on my mind for a bit and I finally decided to tackle it. There's going to be a lot of callbacks to canon but I'm hoping to make this somewhat more own thing. 
> 
> Thank you for reading and giving it a shot. I appreciate comments more than I can likely express.


End file.
